Pinellas Property Online

The International Seashell Expo

What: A supermarket of shells from around the world; free admission

When: Wednesday from 2 to 9 p.m.; Thursday from 9 a.m. until noon

Where: The Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort, 400 Mandalay Ave.

For more information: Call Bob Pierson at (352) 688-4420

 

Suncoast Conchologists

The club meets at 7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday each month, September through May, at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 2001 Rainbow Drive in Clearwater. For more information, call (727) 796-4117.

Some of the most beautiful and exotic shells from around the world are coming to Clearwater Beach as part of the International Seashell Expo at the Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort.

More than 40 dealers from as far away as South Africa, Brazil, Australia, Greece and the Far East will fill the Grand Ballroom of the resort as part of the Conchologists of America's 38th annual convention.

Thousands of shells will be priced anywhere from $2 to $2,00 and price is determined by rarity and depth of the water — those shells found in the deepest ocean waters typically fetch higher prices, she said.

The Suncoast Conchologists club is a 50-or-so member organization made up of seashell collectors who live mostly in north Pinellas and Pasco counties. Their signature shell is the Strombus alatus, or Florida fighting conch, which has been stylized into the shape of a cruise ship for the convention logo this year.

There are three levels of collectors: casual beachcombers, conchologists (amateur collectors) and malacologists (scientists who study mollusks). A portion of the proceeds raised at the annual convention will go toward funding scholarship grants in malacology.

If you have ever picked up a shell on the beach and admired it, you should come to the expo